Can't Win 'Em All (a McRoll in the REAL World story)
by sammy1026
Summary: Catherine and Lea face a vote on an important bill.


_Ok Guys—So it turns out what I thought was a bad case of allergies is actually bronchitis and strep throat. Which has been … not fun. If I make it through this without actually hacking up a lung I'm gonna consider it a win._

 _Mari & Ilna—You guys are 1000 different kinds of awesome. Thanks for all the offers to help this week. You are both the best._

 _REAL Worlders—Thanks for all the support and enthusiasm. Every review, email, tweet, Tumblr comment and DM is appreciated. You help make every minute of this ride a pleasure._

* * *

 **Can't Win 'Em All (1/1)**

 **Governor Kekoa's Office**

 **State Capitol Building**

 **3:30 P.M.**

"Come in," Lea called at the sound of a knock on her office door. Her voice was tight; her features tense. She hoped for good news but was prepared to receive the opposite.

One glance at Marliyah Jackson's face as she stepped through the door and the truth was apparent.

Their last slim hope was gone.

She glanced at her chief of staff, perched stoically on the edge of the office's couch. A look of disappointment settled across Catherine's features as she reached the same conclusion.

"The speaker took a final head count," Marliyah reported solemnly. "We don't have the votes."

After giving the news a few seconds to sink in she spoke again. "He wants to know if you want him to pull the bill from the floor."

"No!" Lea shook her head adamantly. "I want to get every vote on the record."

"Absolutely." Catherine nodded in agreement. "We want every person who votes no on this to have to go back to their district and explain to their constituents why they voted against a bill that would provide homeless children better access to a stable education."

Marliyah shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Sometimes she hated pointing out potential political ramifications, especially to a bill as important as this one, but it was part of her job so she pushed forward.

"Won't we be creating problems for some of our own people who plan to vote no?" the deputy chief of staff asked as she sent off a quick text to the speaker telling him to go ahead with the vote.

Catherine cocked her eyebrow. "If they're willing to vote no on a bill like this I'm not sure they're really our people to begin with."

"Exactly." Lea sat down in her desk chair with a heavy sigh. "I've been clear since day one that this administration isn't about partisan politics; it's about doing what's best for the people of Hawaii. Let these folks spend the summer hearing from their constituents and we'll take the temperature in the room again in the fall. If we feel like the outcome will be different we'll reintroduce the bill then."

"And if the fallout makes them squirm a little, no matter what party they're from, then good." Catherine's phone pinged with an incoming text and she glanced at the message from the House floor letting her know the vote would start in ten minutes. "They deserve it."

"I know neither one of you likes the idea of attaching this to another bill but the infrastructure improvement measure is coming up next week … " Marliyah suggested, not for the first time.

"No." Lea's quick answer and definitive tone left no room for negotiation. "That muddies the water too much. Gives people cover for their no vote."

"And the last thing we want to do in this case is give anyone political cover. If they're willing to vote down a measure to help at risk kids they better have a plan for explaining it to the voters." Catherine checked her watch. "I'm gonna head back to my office. I need to make a few calls before I head home." She looked at Lea apologetically. "I'm sorry we couldn't make this happen."

Lea waved her off. They'd had an incredible run of bill passages during their first three plus months in office but she'd been around state politics long enough to know it wouldn't last forever. "Sometimes the votes just aren't there."

"Speaking of that," Marliyah scrolled to an email she'd received earlier, "Jake Rose wants a meeting sometime tomorrow on the operating budget."

"Set it up," Lea replied. "Oh, and before I forget, I talked to Helen from the Hawaii Education Initiative earlier and gave her a heads up the vote probably wasn't going to go our way. She's ready to explore private grant options to get things started next school year but that's only a stop gap. Six months at most. What we really need is to get the bill passed and shake loose some funding."

Catherine's face brightened as an idea struck. "Let's talk to someone at the union. Maybe we can find some retired teachers to volunteer to staff the project until we get the funding to hire folks on full-time. Give of their own time and resources because this project is so important." She began scribbling notes on a legal pad. "Do that for admin positions too. Food service. Janitorial staff. Everything. Find ordinary Hawaiians willing to step in and fill the gap until the legislature decides to do the right thing."

"I like it." Lea nodded eagerly. "And maybe more importantly I'm sure the press will like it too. Lots of coverage every step of the way. Now _that's_ how we apply pressure." She reached for her laptop and pulled up her calendar. "Let's set up some meetings for next week. The private groups will need to take the lead but I want it made clear we'll offer assistance however we can."

"Sounds good," Catherine smiled.

Marliyah reached the door then turned back. "I just want you two to know that this … the way you never give up on things you believe in … and the fact that you do things in a way that's transparent and above board … well … it makes me glad every day that I decided to stay on."

* * *

 **McGarrett Rollins Home**

 **Living Room**

 **6:30 P.M.**

"Hey," Steve said softly as he tossed his keys on the table and took a seat beside Catherine on the couch. "Sorry I'm late."

He'd received a text from her earlier about the vote but he and Danny were tied up interviewing a suspect and he couldn't give more than a cursory reply.

"That's okay." She smiled softly. "I needed a little time to decompress anyway." She stroked Cammie's head which was resting in her lap. "She's been commiserating with me since I came through the door."

"Good girl." Steve scratched the devoted dog behind the right ear. "I'll take it from here though."

Cammie looked up and after receiving a kiss on the head from her favorite female human, padded across the room to her bed and settled in.

Steve wrapped his arm around Catherine's shoulders and she settled against his side.

"We knew we were gonna have trouble getting this passed as a standalone bill but we were gaining momentum over the last week and I really thought we had a chance of getting the votes we needed," she sighed.

"Who derailed you?" Steve asked.

"We ended up five votes short so it was no one person." She laid her head back and met his eyes. "Kapua was opposed to taking any funds at all from the operating budget even though there's plenty of wiggle room there. Garcia's district is scheduled for a major highway overhaul so she didn't want to give up even 1% of the infrastructure improvement budget because it might impact that project." She rubbed her forehead. "The other three just cited general uneasiness about any new expenditures until we know what kind of federal funding will be available across the board."

Steve leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I know you gave it all you had."

"We really did."

He held his free hand up, thumb and index finger an inch apart. "You just came up a little short."

"Just a little," she agreed.

"You left it all on the field though."

She couldn't help but smile. "Are you giving me sports clichés?"

"You'll get 'em next time," he grinned.

Catherine laughed. "What in the world has gotten into you? Oh wait … did you talk to Grandma Ang today?"

"Twice," Steve chuckled. "The first time she called to complain about the Cubs and tell me they're all bums but then apparently they staged a comeback and she called back to tell me they were her champs again."

Catherine snorted. "That sounds about right."

"Seriously though," Steve laid his hand softly on her cheek, "what can I do for you?"

"Exactly what you're doing," she smiled as her eyes drifted closed.

After a few minutes she opened them again and found Steve looking at her with an inquisitive stare. "What?"

"When do you start?" he asked.

"Start what?"

"Your backup plan to get those kids into a safe and stable school environment," he said as though the answer was obvious.

She tried to keep a straight face but failed miserably. "What makes you think I have a backup plan?"

"I know you," he replied confidently. "When you really believe in something … like helping these kids … you don't take no for an answer."

"We have something in the works for next week," she admitted.

"I knew it," he grinned. "Why don't I get dinner started and we'll talk about it while we eat." He started to stand. "Last night's leftover chicken okay with you?"

She pulled him back down beside her with a saucy grin. "How about pancakes and we'll talk about the plan … later," she purred.

"As always, lieutenant, I like the way you think."

 **THE END**

* * *

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